


Repurposing Ideas

by Marks



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Decorating, Gen, Halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 12:35:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8328112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marks/pseuds/Marks
Summary: Hartley's making his own Halloween fun in the Pipeline, and it's weirding Cisco out.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is set after the 2x17 retcon, when Barry comes back and changes Hartley's original storyline. Basically, I find it interesting that Wells keeps saying they should leave Hartley in the Pipeline after he helps out with the Time Wraith. I THINK ABOUT THIS A LOT!
> 
> Written for [Hartmon Holidays](http://hartmonholidays.tumblr.com)' 13 Nights of Hartmon's prompt, "Decorating." Gonna attempt all of these! I have a lot of them written already, we'll see how far I get.

It turns out a person can get pretty creative with discarded fast food wrappers. Cisco hadn't ever thought about that before, but he's learning a lot of things right now. One, Hartley is a hoarder. Two, he's some sort of secret hoarder because Cisco had no idea Hartley had been carefully keeping about half of his trash. Three, a makeshift cell decorated with old bags from Big Belly Burger makes for some not-completely-terrible Halloween decorations. Dude's got some hidden skills. Still, whatever's happening here definitely isn't normal.

"Happy Halloween?" Cisco suggests, opening up Hartley's cell and handing over his lunch. Or should he say supplying him with new material? Hartley smiles, and it's a genuine one. This isn't a new occurrence; Hartley's sort of chilled out majorly ever since the dementor-thing attacked them in the Pipeline, just as long as Dr. Wells isn't around, but it's still weird and Cisco isn't completely used to it yet. 

"So, are you saying that you like what I've done with the place?" Hartley asks. "I'm touched."

"I think you've spent way too long in solitary." And that's a whole other thing. Cisco's had a lot of confusing things happen lately — discovering Barry could time travel, disagreeing with Dr. Wells over whether they should still keep Hartley in the Pipeline after he's been so helpful, and a whole lot of creepy nightmares where Wells is doing something way worse than disagreeing with Cisco. Maybe confusing isn't the right word for the last one. Disturbing? Whatever the word, it's weird dying night after night. "Sorry about that, by the way," Cisco says. "Caitlin and I are working on him."

Hartley shrugs. "If he's not listening to you two, he's probably not going to listen. I know I liked pretending that I was more to him than I knew I was, but you two are really like his kids." One corner of Hartley's mouth lifts up. "That was never really my place. I'm not even like a kid to my own parents."

Cisco suddenly wants to change the subject. He gestures to the wrapper ghosts and the red torn-up pumpkins made out of cardboard fry sleeves. "What's going on here, anyway?"

Hartley dumps his fries out of their cardboard container and into the big paper bag holding the rest of his food, prying the container apart and ripping two holes in the middle. Just when Cisco thinks Hartley's totally lost it, Hartley holds the thing up to his face like a mask. Which, okay, not exactly the most normal thing in the world, but he sort of looks like The Flash like this so at least he's on brand. 

"I like Halloween," Hartley says. 

"Is that all?" 

"Yeah," Hartley says. "When I was a teenager, I basically spent every day of my existence hiding, and Halloween was the one night a year where I didn't have to worry about pretending to be something I wasn't. I could put on a mask or makeup, and sneak out for the night and hit on every hot guy I saw and not worry that someone was going to out the Rathaway kid." He laughs ruefully. "So weird that I was pretending to be something else just to cover up for always pretending to be something else. But hey, it didn't really work out for me after I gave up the pretense either, did it?"

"God, Hartley," Cisco says. "Halloween's supposed to be spooky, not depressing." He climbs into Hartley's cell and sits on the floor. Sure, Dr. Wells might see him sitting there if he looks at the security monitors, but whatever. Cisco's not feeling too loyal right now, and the surprise on Hartley's face is worth it.

"I'm plenty spooky," Hartley says defensively. "You should see my goth look." He hands the fry mask over to Cisco. "What about you, Cisco? Are you a Halloween kid?"

Cisco holds Hartley's mask up to his face. The smell from the container makes him hungry, so he reaches into the bag of food and shoves a few fries into his mouth, licking the salt from his fingers after. He catches Hartley watching him, but that doesn't stop him. "Sure, what's not to like? Carving pumpkins, awesome costumes, potentially running into Darth Vader making out with Harry Potter —"

"Oh, so we went to the same parties," Hartley interrupts.

Cisco laughs. "Possibly. But I'm mostly in it for the candy. You know me. The sugar rush is my jam."

"Well, then remind me to buy you a bag of lollipops as a thank you after you break me out of here." Hartley reaches over Cisco to grab some fries of his own, flashing Cisco a winning smile as he does so. This time Cisco's the one caught staring. "Don't worry, you don't have to say anything now. But you already know I'll be more help to you out there instead of in here, and you already know it's a little weird that my former boss is keeping me locked up indefinitely for breaking a few windows in my own father's building."

"You had way bigger plans than that," Cisco points out. "Dr. Wells just wants to make sure you're not a threat anymore. How am I supposed to know for sure you won't be?"

"You don't." Hartley shrugs. "I'm just hoping you'll come to understand what I already do about Harrison and realize I'm telling the truth." Cisco suddenly sees himself in STAR's basement and feels betrayal and a vibrating hand through the chest. "Anyway, glad you like the decorations."

Cisco gets up. "I'll be back soon. Happy Halloween, Hartley." 

When he leaves, Cisco takes Hartley's mask with him.


End file.
